Credit cards for bad credit
We recommend these cards from our partners.
CK Editors’ Tips††: If you have bad credit, the right credit card can help you improve your financial situation while it provides crucial access to credit. Look for cards that can help set you up for success over the short and long terms.Read more
What to consider when choosing a credit card for bad credit
Ideally, a credit card for bad credit serves as a stepping stone to more and better features on a future credit card. Try to find the card with features that can set you up for credit success — low fees, relatively high minimum credit limits, and bonuses for on-time payments like automatic reviews for credit limit increases. Also, while rewards can be nice to have on these cards, you probably shouldn’t look at them as the main draw.
Ideally, a credit card for bad credit serves as a stepping stone to more and better features on a future credit card. Try to find the card with features that can set you up for credit success — low fees, relatively high minimum credit limits, and bonuses for on-time payments like automatic reviews for credit limit increases. Also, while rewards can be nice to have on these cards, you probably shouldn’t look at them as the main draw.
How we picked the best credit cards for bad credit
Our picks for the best credit cards for bad credit all offer chances to build credit and set yourself up for financial success. First, we focused on cards that offered flexible requirements for approval. From there, we zeroed in on useful features when building credit, like high minimum credit limits, opportunities to graduate from a secured card to an unsecured card, and rewards that don’t come with high annual fees. Read more about our methodology for picking the best credit cards.
Jump to editors’ picksOur picks for the best credit cards for bad credit all offer chances to build credit and set yourself up for financial success. First, we focused on cards that offered flexible requirements for approval. From there, we zeroed in on useful features when building credit, like high minimum credit limits, opportunities to graduate from a secured card to an unsecured card, and rewards that don’t come with high annual fees. Read more about our methodology for picking the best credit cards.
Milestone® Gold Mastercard®
- Regular purchase APR24.90%
- Annual fee$75 the first year; $99 thereafter
Regular purchase APR
24.90%
Annual fee
$75 the first year; $99 thereafter
- Bad credit history? Milestone Mastercard could be for you. With reporting to all three credit bureaus, you can get credit for all of your hard work
- No upfront security deposit required so you can keep more money in your pocket. Plus, gain access to a manageable credit limit with every card
Great for building your credit history††
Great for building your credit history††
Fingerhut Fetti Credit Account issued by WebBank
- Regular purchase APR29.99%*
- Annual fee$0*
Regular purchase APR
29.99%*
Annual fee
$0*
- Easy application! Get a credit decision in seconds.
- Build your credit history - Fingerhut reports to all 3 major credit bureaus
Credit One Bank® Platinum Visa® for Rebuilding Credit
- Rewards rate1%Cash back
- Annual fee$75 for the first year, $99 thereafter
Rewards rate
1% Cash back
Annual fee
$75 for the first year, $99 thereafter
- Earn 1% cash back rewards on eligible gas, grocery purchases and mobile phone, internet, cable and satellite TV services, terms apply
- With $0 Fraud Liability, you won’t be responsible for unauthorized charges
Great for building credit††
Great for building credit††
OpenSky® Secured Credit Visa® Card
- Min. deposit$200Refundable
- Regular purchase APR17.64%*Variable
- Annual fee$35
Min. deposit
$200 Refundable
Regular purchase APR
17.64%* Variable
Annual fee
$35
- No credit check to apply and find out instantly if you are approved.
- OpenSky gives everyone an opportunity to improve their credit with an 85% average approval rate for the past 5 years
Great for building credit from scratch††
Great for building credit from scratch††
First Progress Platinum Select MasterCard® Secured Credit Card
- Min. deposit$200Refundable
- Regular purchase APR14.24%*Variable
- Annual fee$39
Min. deposit
$200 Refundable
Regular purchase APR
14.24%* Variable
Annual fee
$39
- Receive Your Card More Quickly with New Expedited Processing Option
- No Credit History or Minimum Credit Score Required for Approval
Capital One Platinum Secured Credit Card
- Min. deposit$49, $99 or $200Refundable
- Regular purchase APR26.99% (Variable)
- Annual fee$0
Min. deposit
$49, $99 or $200 Refundable
Regular purchase APR
26.99% (Variable)
Annual fee
$0
- No annual or hidden fees. See if you're approved in seconds
- Building your credit? Using the Capital One Platinum Secured card responsibly could help
Great for establishing a credit history††
Great for establishing a credit history††
First Progress Platinum Elite MasterCard® Secured Credit Card
- Min. deposit$200Refundable
- Regular purchase APR20.24%*Variable
- Annual fee$29
Min. deposit
$200 Refundable
Regular purchase APR
20.24%* Variable
Annual fee
$29
- Quick and Complete Online Application – No Credit Inquiry Required!
- Full-Feature Platinum Mastercard® Secured Credit Card; Try our new Mobile App for Android users!
Great for building credit from scratch††
Great for building credit from scratch††
First Progress Platinum Prestige MasterCard® Secured Credit Card
- Min. deposit$200Refundable
- Regular purchase APR10.24%*Variable
- Annual fee$49
Min. deposit
$200 Refundable
Regular purchase APR
10.24%* Variable
Annual fee
$49
- No Credit History or Minimum Credit Score Required for Approval
- Credit Line Secured by Your Fully-Refundable Deposit of $200 -- $2,000 Submitted with Application
Great for people working on their credit††
Great for people working on their credit††
Indigo® Platinum Mastercard®
- Regular purchase APR24.90%
- Annual fee$75 the first year; $99 thereafter
Regular purchase APR
24.90%
Annual fee
$75 the first year; $99 thereafter
- Less than perfect credit? Indigo Mastercard is a great choice! Indigo Card reports to all three major credit bureaus and gives you the chance to establish a consistent payment record!
- Unsecured credit card with no security deposit - keep your cash in your wallet! Plus, affordable monthly payments comes standard on every card
Oportun® Visa® Credit Card
- Regular purchase APR29.9% Variable
- Annual fee$0
Regular purchase APR
29.9% Variable
Annual fee
$0
- Credit line up to $1,000 – get a response in minutes
- No annual fee
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†† The opinions you read here come from our editorial team. Credit Karma receives compensation from third-party advertisers, but that doesn’t affect our editors' opinions. Our marketing partners don’t review, approve or endorse our editorial content. It’s accurate to the best of our knowledge when it’s posted.